This disclosure relates generally to heat exchangers with features directed to various innovations including ones relating to gas turbine recuperators.
The recuperation of the gas turbine engine is a proven method for increasing thermal efficiency in gas turbines. However, the technical challenges associated with surviving the severe environment of a gas turbine exhaust while meeting the equally severe cost challenges has limited the number of viable products. A gas turbine recuperator is typically exposed to a thermal gradient of up to 600 C, pressures of 3 to 22 bar, and may operate at a gas temperature of over 700 C. Moreover, developers of advanced recuperated gas turbine systems are considering applications with pressures of up to 80 bar and temperatures ranging to 1000 C.
The successful design must tolerate severe thermal gradients, and repeated thermal cycling, by allowing unrestricted thermal strain. The structural requirements to manage very high pressures tend to work against the normal design preferences for structural flexibility, which is important to tolerating large and rapid thermal transients. Often the thermal-strain tolerant heat exchanger core requires a case and internal structures to manage the internal pressure loads. In one aspect, the subject disclosure is directed to a heat exchange device and system using a unique three manifold arrangement. In a further aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a heat exchange device and system with a separate but integrated pressure and thermal management structure.